This invention relates to a fan assembly disposed within a housing and to a method of manufacturing the same.
Fan assemblies of various sizes and configurations are employed in many diversified installations. A fan assembly may be employed to merely ventilate an area, or may be included as part of a central station air handling unit wherein cooling, humidifying and dehumidifying, heating, filtration, and precise air circulation may be obtained from the unit. Such central station air handling units are typically employed in high-rise buildings, industrial plants, and shopping malls having multi-zone, double duct, or single zone constant or variable volume air distribution systems. The central station air handling unit may either include a blow-thru or draw-thru fan. The desired position of the fan relative to the cooling and heating coils determines the type of fan, either blow-thru or draw-thru, employed in any given installation. Air will be discharged from the fan assembly in a preselected direction depending upon the individual requirements of each installation.
For example, in one installation, it may be desirable to have the air discharged from the bottom horizontal front of the unit. In another installation, it may be desirable to have the air discharged from the top rear of the unit, whereas in still a further installation, it may be desirable to have the air discharged in a top horizontal front direction.
Fan assemblies of the type hereinabove described are generally disposed within a housing. Heretofore, it has been the practice within the industry to provide separate housing configurations depending upon the direction in which the air is discharged from the fan assembly. The utilization of the various housings has thus increased the number of parts that must be maintained in inventory.
It might be thought that a single housing could be readily employed with the various discharge arrangements that are desired for a fan assembly. However, a fan scroll is not a symmetrical body, but rather typically includes a portion adjacent the discharge opening which is substantially wider than the remaining portion of the fan scroll. To accommodate the wide portion of the fan scroll, the position of which may vary from unit to unit, the housing portion therearound must be suitably expanded. The expanded portion of a housing suitable for one discharge arrangement, for example a housing useable with a front discharge opening fan scroll, would not be suitable for another discharge arrangement, for example a housing to be employed with a top discharge opening fan scroll. Heretofore, a single housing suitable for use with all discharge arrangements would necessarily be expanded or over-sized in all dimensions to accommodate the fan scroll as the position of the discharge opening might be varied from one unit to the next. Obviously, the extra material unnecessarily employed in making an over-sized housing increases the cost of manufacturing and selling the air handling units. Additionally, suitable members must be employed to satisfactorily support the extra heavy housing panels. Particularly, when raw material shortages are affecting all segments of industry, a housing having excessive amounts of superfluous material is not satisfactory.
A further unnecessary expense is created by use of oversized housings in that transportation costs are materially increased due to the extra weight involved.